The World Raises Its Umbrella for Safe Sex, but the battle for a #CondomEmoji is not over yet!
New Delhi, 5th December 2016 Durex refuses to give up its fight for the creation of an official Condom Emoji, and the global reaction to its latest campaign shows that the world agrees that a condom emoji would make a real difference in how young people everywhere communicate about safe sex.
Last week Durex marked World AIDS Day by unveiling “Umbrella with Raindrops” as the temporary unofficial safe sex emoji following global research to discover the most popular choice1. The announcement prompted a spectacular response which saw the internet covered in umbrellas on December 1st as people took to their smartphones to show Unicode just how much they want a condom emoji to become a reality.
To mark World AIDS Day people showed their support by using the umbrella emoji more than 15,000 times2 on twitter. The campaign hashtag #CondomEmoji achieved over 44 million potential impressions as it trended around the world3. An accompanying global research poll further supported the case for an official safe sex emoji, revealing that more than three quarters of young people use emojis to discuss sex and that 91.7% agree that a condom emoji on their phone would be a significant help in enabling them to make sex safer.
Now, Emojipedia, the “leading resource in documenting emoji”4, has announced that it has updated its definition of “Open Umbrella with Raindrops” in response to the impact the campaign has had and the resulting change in the emoji’s use.
In addition to this, and in a world first, Emojipedia has also thrown its support behind the campaign by creating a page for the as yet to be approved condom emoji. Never before has Emojipedia featured a page for an icon that has not been approved by Unicode, again demonstrating the case for Unicode to reconsider their decision and make the #CondomEmoji a reality.
Volker Sydow, Global Category Director at Durex commented “We know that young people are using emojis to communicate with each other and discuss sex. With so many people around the world using the unofficial safe sex emoji this week, we have further strong evidence that a real #CondomEmoji is a necessary addition to the official line up to help contribute to make sex safer.”
Emojipedia founder Jeremy Burge5 added, “If the 60% of young people who are uncomfortable discussing safe sex are better able to talk about it using the unofficial safe sex emoji, that is a great thing. Emoji use is very flexible and changes over time. Emojis are a great way to make a discussion like this more accessible to everyone.”
Emojipedia links:
http://emojipedia.org/umbrella-with-rain-drops/
http://emojipedia.org/condom/
Campaign Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxndJz-CBf4
-ENDS-
For Further information please contact –
Priya Saraogi 7042220292 priya@integralpr.com
Notes to Editors
Sources:
1. Source: 3GEM research on behalf of Durex – UK, October 2015
2. Source: Emoji usage statistics via www.emojitracker.com showing an uplift of 30% usage of the emoji during thre World AIDS Day period
3. Source: www.twitter.com analytics and Crimson Hexagon https://www.crimsonhexagon.com
4. Source: Van Lulling, Todd (18 November 2014). Huffington Post
5. Source: Griffin, Andrew (17 July 2016). “Meet the man whose life work is cataloguing emoji”. independent.
About Durex
Durex® is the #1 sexual wellbeing brand worldwide, producing a wide range of products, including high quality condoms, intimate lubricants and personal massagers.
With over 80 years of experience in the bedroom, Durex is dedicated to inspiring lovers to love sex safely. That is why Durex will never stop innovating with new products that enhance the sexual experience, helping couples get closer and go further together.
For more information, go to www.Durex.com.
About RB*
RB* is the world’s leading consumer health and hygiene company. The company has operations in over 60 countries, with headquarters in London, Dubai and Amsterdam, and sales in most countries across the globe. The company employs approximately c. 37,000 people worldwide.
Inspired by a purpose to deliver innovative solutions for healthier lives and happier homes, RB is in the top 20 companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. We are the global No 1or No 2 in the majority of our fast-growing categories, driven by an exceptional focus on innovation. Our health, hygiene and home portfolio is led by our global Powerbrands including Nurofen, Strepsils Gaviscon, Mucinex, Durex, Scholl, Clearasil, Lysol, Dettol, Veet, Harpic, Cillit Bang, Mortein, Finish, Vanish, Calgon, Air Wick, Woolite and French’s. Our Powerbrands represent 80% of net revenue.
RB is redefining the world of consumer health and hygiene. Our people and unique culture are at the heart of our success. We have a drive for achievement and a passion to outperform wherever we focus, including sustainability where we are targeting a 1/3 reduction in water impact, 1/3 reduction in carbon and 1/3 of net revenue from more sustainable products. We are proud to be Save the Children’s largest global partner, with a new vision to radically reduce one the world’s largest killer of under 5s, diarrhoea.
For more information visit www.rb.com.
*RB is the trading name of Reckitt Benckiser group of companies
About Emojipedia
Emojipedia is an emoji reference website created by in 2013.
The Emojipedia website documents changes to emoji symbols and their meanings in the Unicode Standard.
The website receives over 140 million page views per year.
